Sebastian Payne
Paul Lambert out as Ukip’s head of communications
The Ukip wars have taken another casualty: the party’s head of communications Paul 'Gobby' Lambert. Guido reports that the 'press office has declared war on the leader' and it appears Lambert is a casualty of the fighting.
Lambert was brought in from the BBC last year to run the party's media operation but there have been concerns from those around Farage about his performance in the role. Others in the party suggest he wanted to leave anyway after a long and exhausting campaign. From my understanding, Lambert decided he'd had enough and had no desire to renew his contract after the election.
As with Raheem Kassam yesterday, it's not entirely clear if he has been sacked or not. ITV's Chris Ship has spoken to Lambert this afternoon, who said he is currently 'on leave' and won't be returning to Ukip:
Comms chief at @UKIP Paul Lambert tells me he is on leave. But he answers 'no' when I ask if he's coming back
— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) May 15, 2015